1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to musical instruments employing reeds and more particularly to a device for partially constraining a vibrating reed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a musical instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone, it is highly desirable to control the vibration of the reed by firmly holding the reed against the mouthpiece both for enhancing the quality of the sound and facilitating the playing of the instrument. Devices have been developed in the prior art to modify the reed such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,132 issued Sep. 18, 1973 to Backus. In Backus, the reed has spaced longitudinal ribs with filler material there between. Other approaches include the placement of various shaped members between the mouthpiece of the instrument and the reed for enhancing the tone such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,827 issued Aug. 16, 1977 to Daglis and U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,032 issued Aug. 24, 1965 to Strathman.
The device of the present invention provides an improvement over the prior art by instead of modifying the reed or cane or adding a modifying insert to the mouthpiece rather utilizes a conventional reed and abuts a hard surface against such reed or cane. This partially restrains the reed or cane making it easier to play the instrument without sacrificing tonal quality.
In the device of the invention a ferrous or non-ferrous material such as stainless steel or copper has one of its surfaces coated with an abrasive material such as diamond particles or other hard abrasive substance. This coated surface is abutted against the reed or cane of the instrument by means of a ligature in the case of a reed or string in the case of a cane. The ligature or string is tightened in place to provide firm contact with the coated surface.
It is therefore an object of this invention to improve the operation of the reed or cane of a musical wind instrument.
It is a further object of this invention to facilitate the playing of a musical wind instrument employing a reed or cane.
It is still a further object of this invention to reduce the strain in long time playing of a musical wind instrument employing a reed or a cane.